Although the island of Corfu is not considered budget resort, but nevertheless, lately it has been attracting more and more tourists' attention. There are not only amazing landscapes and a mild pleasant climate, but also a very interesting architecture... Many tourists with great pleasure wander along the narrow old streets for a long time, while enjoying the ancient architecture of squares, churches and museums, as well as other memorable places.
Start your acquaintance with the island of Corfu with a tour of its capital - the city of Kerkyra. In ancient times, the whole island was called by this name. This small and cozy town is somewhat remotely reminiscent of Venice, as it is also practically filled with many vaulted columns with cafes and souvenir shops. This is not surprising, however, because Corfu essentially belonged to Venice for four centuries. First of all, in the capital, one should visit Satra and the New Fortress, then the famous Cathedral of St. Spyridon and do not forget to take a walk through the cozy Liston.
The old fortress appeared in Kerkyra during the reign of the Venetians, who strove for its maximum protection and for this they dug a small moat. Therefore, you can get to the other side only by crossing the bridge. A stunningly beautiful panorama opens from the top of the fortress. But it's best to visit it early in the morning or in the evening, because it is unbearably hot here during the day. In the evening, you can watch various entertainment events near the fortress, for example, light shows or musical performances.
The new fortress also began to be built by the Venetians during their reign in Corfu, but the French and British had to finish building it. It consists of two large fortifications. Two rows of its walls are interconnected by a whole system of passages and corridors. The gate is decorated with the image of a winged lion - the symbol of St. Mark the Evangelist, who is considered the patron saint of Venice. From the walls of this fortress at least beautiful view to the sea and to Greece itself. 
Another must-see is the Cathedral of St. Spirridon of Trimifuntsky, which is considered the most revered saint on the island of Corfu. The relics of this saint are kept in the temple named after him. Believers are firmly convinced that Saint Spyridon helps absolutely everyone who turns to him with requests, therefore, decent queues usually line up for him in the temple. According to historical chronicles, Saint Spyridon saved the city four times - the first time from the Turkish invaders, then from hunger and two more times from the plague.
Well, you also need to take a walk along Liston Street, the most popular in the city of Kerkyra. It is somewhat elusively reminiscent of the French Rue de Rivoli, probably due to its inherent atmosphere of charm, sophistication and tranquility. Almost along the entire street there are two buildings with open galleries on the first floors. All of them are very beautifully decorated with graceful arches with Venetian lanterns. Here locals and numerous tourists usually meet for a cup of coffee or meet old friends.
It is also worth a visit to the beautiful village of Gasturi, which is located 20 kilometers from Kerkyra. There you must see one of the most amazing buildings in Greece - the palace of Achilleion. It was built at the direction of Elizabeth of Austria after one of her visits to the island of Corfu. 
The Achilleion Palace, made in the neoclassical style, is surrounded on all sides by large flowering gardens with numerous amazing statues placed here and there. In the large hall of the palace, you can see the work of various artists. I think that a visit to the Achilleion Palace will not leave you indifferent, since the building is made in the best Austrian architectural traditions, which have long been famous for their sophistication.
I would also advise you to visit the island of Pontikonisi. Due to the white staircase that resembles a thin mouse's tail, this island is often called Mouse Island. This ladder will take you to the Pantokrator monastery. From there, from its walls, you can admire a magnificent scenic panorama. According to an old legend, the island of Pontikonisi in ancient times was the ship of Odysseus, but once the god of the seas Posseidon became very angry and turned the ship to stone. You will find this island near Kanoni, a very picturesque place in the southern part of Kerkyra. 
Well, the last place where you must go without fail is Paleokastritsa. This place is located about 25 kilometers from Kerkyra and is considered the cradle of the island of Corfu. Locals have long chosen these places for recreation and for their picnics. The local coast is adorned with many pretty coves and even more villages, in some incomprehensible way climbing the mountains. And there is also amazing crystal clear water.
In Paleokastritsa, you should visit the Monastery of the Virgin Mary and the Museum of Ancient Byzantine Icons, and finally, of course, visit one of the many coastal taverns, enjoy the magnificent Greek cuisine and admire the magnificent panorama of the bay.
The island of Kekira, better known to tourists as, attracts those who love full "all inclusive": here you will find historical memorials, the gentle Mediterranean Sea, natural beauty, and excellent service ... To be honest, I didn’t want to leave here, but the vacation came to an end and two days later I had work and "adored" by many emergency Monday.
Fortunately, this time there were no time differences, since in the summer both Corfu and live at the same time - according to UTC + 3. However, if you are flying from to Moscow in winter, remember that during this time between Greek island and the capital of Russia, the time difference is exactly 1 hour: when in winter at 12:00, in Moscow it is already 13:00. ;)
Setting aside the confusion associated with the transition of all of Greece from summer to winter time and vice versa, you will not feel any discomfort after the flight, so there is no need to worry about this.
But what definitely needs to be taken care of in advance is the plane tickets from Corfu to Moscow, especially in summer, when there are a lot of tourists in Greece. Moreover, there are very few air flights in this direction:
- 9840 from Yakutia will take you to Moscow in 3 hours and 25 minutes (only on Saturdays);
- the same flight follows from Corfu to Moscow on Wednesday, but at a different time, its duration does not change;
- 408 from Ellinair operates on Mondays, Fridays and Saturdays (departure at 8:15 am) and Wednesdays (departure at 8:45 am), travel time is 3 hours 15 minutes;
- Austrian / Aeroflot, transfer in Vienna, 5 hours on the way;
- Finnair / Aeroflot, transfer to
When preparing for a trip to sunny Hellas, do not forget to clarify the time zone of Greece and the time difference with your hometown: this helpful information will save you upon arrival in Greece from possible annoying misunderstandings, such as being late for dinner at the hotel on the first evening.
Since 1916, Greece has officially used Eastern European Time (EET) with daylight saving time. The time in Greece differs from Universal Time (UTC) by 2 hours in winter (UTC + 2) and by three hours in summer (UTC + 3).
Clock change in Greece
Organized transition to summer time in Greece since 1975 and it takes place on the last Sunday of March. One hour of sleep deprivation is rewarded with a long spring evening, and an evening for a true Greek is always full of pleasure.
The transition to winter time in Greece on the last Sunday in October gives the Greek population an extra hour of sleep. After Russia canceled the seasonal clock change from February 8, 2011, the winter time difference with Greece increased. So, if earlier the time difference between Greece and Moscow was 1 hour, now in the cold season we are separated by as much as 2 hours - which, of course, is less convenient.
On the other hand, Athens has no difference with Kiev - neither in winter nor in summer.
By the way, within Greece there is no division into time zones. Thus, the time in Crete, Athens, Thessaloniki, Rhodes and Corfu is the same. The time zone and time of the brotherly state of Cyprus (UTC + 2) is no different from Greece.
Difference in time:
Below we provide a small useful summary of the time difference between Greece and some cities in Russia and Europe from different time zones. The table shows by how many hours the indicated cities differ from Greece.
- Moscow: +2 hours in winter, +1 hour in summer
- Yekaterinburg: +4 - in winter, +3 - in summer
- Novosibirsk: +5 - in winter, +4 - in summer
- Krasnoyarsk: +6 - in winter, +5 - in summer
- Irkutsk: +7 - in winter, +6 - in summer
- Vladivostok: +9 - in winter, +8 - in summer
- Kiev: absent
- Berlin, Rome and Paris: -1 hour all year round
- London: -2 hours all year round
Other useful information about time zone and time in Greece
- Remember, flight schedules always show local time!
- In response to a short call * 100 *, familiar to Russians, from a landline phone in Greece, you will be answered not by a melodic female voice announcing the exact time, but by the voice of the police station on duty.
- It is not customary to call your home phone or come to visit between about 15 and 18:00 without a special invitation from the hosts: siesta time.
- The influence of time does not extend to nature and monuments.
That's all for now. Good hour!
Vacation planning is often related to the question of how long it is in the part of the world where you want to go. Often, the time difference does not affect the choice, if the resting place does not differ much from the everyday one, but many people are subject to changes in adaptation and a long restructuring of the body to a new time zone.
Therefore, during the rest period, due to differences in time zones, you can lose several days getting used to the surrounding time. For such people, a vacation on the island of Corfu in Greece is perfect, because the time in Kerkyra in the summer does not differ from the time zone in Moscow.
Kerkyra city (Corfu island)
Kerkyra Island observes time, like all mainland Greece according to UTC + 3, for example, on August 8, 2017, the time in Kerkyra is no different from the time in Moscow. If in Moscow it is 12 o'clock in the afternoon, then Kerkyra shows the exact time at noon. The last transition of the time period occurred on March 26, 2107 at 3.00 hours.
Greece changes its clocks to winter and summer time. Therefore, those wishing to go to the island after October should know that the time difference with Corfu and Moscow.
Old town of Kerkyra
will be equal to one hour ago. The transition to winter time on the island of Kerkyra is carried out on the last Sunday in October one hour back, and the transition to summer time takes place on the last Sunday in March. So the next transitions look like this:
- winter time. The transition is expected on Sunday 29 October at 4:00 am. The hands of the clock on the island of Corfu will move back an hour;
- summer time. The transition will take place on Sunday 25 March at 3.00 am. The clock will advance one hour, and the time will be equal to Moscow.
In any case, the island of Kerkyra is beautiful at any time of the year, and even from December to February, vacationers expect up to 17 degrees Celsius during the day and up to 10 degrees Celsius at night. The sea warms up to 17 degrees in December and up to 15 in February. Therefore, when planning your vacation, you should not stock up on too warm clothes. Enjoy your stay.
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